Redleg

To those who say tanking killed us, would we have been a better side with Cotchin and Nic Nat? I think so. Yet we won the Dogs game, what did it help us?

That's not quite right. While as usual we turned it over, they worked hard to get the ball and then ran away from us. Their pace and skill killed us. That comes from having a bunch of talented kids who are prepared to work hard. There is not the slightest doubt that GC and GWS have been given the opportunity to dominate in a few years. Unfortunately for us, they came in when we were down and combined with atrocious drafting and development, we are now in our current position.

No doubt. You can also add in Cameron, Treloar, Shiel, Davis, Hampton, etc, etc, etc.

Not feeling sick anymore. Now I just feel sad.

Correct. The tiges had to make do with that crock Trent Cotchin. FWIW, we would have had that crock and Nic Nat, if we had lost to the Dogs or in the Kreuzer cup, ( the most expensive wins in the club's history).

Problem will be in convincing good players to come to us. The Coach will have a bearing and may help if it is the right one.I would offer Jamar to GWS as they will lose Brogan and only have Giles. That will be more attractive if Bellchambers stays as not many more available to them. If something else is needed to sweeten the deal that can be looked at.

There is our problem, we got it wrong nearly all of the time.I agree though, if we get it right there are good kids coming through.

This has been done to death, but how could Prendergast draft Cook with our first pick and 2 years later not one single club even rookies him, when we delist him. I was told that the other recruiters were stunned when he took Cook at 12. That is but one mistake of many he made. I accept that recruiting is not an exact science, but he has left us in this dire position, because of his poor performance. I am just so angry.

Just watched the Adelaide showdown, great game. Both clubs have found plenty of young players. Where are ours. Clearly they were ignored by Barry Prendergast, who IMO is the worst performed employee of the MFC ever. I remember him as an arrogant spud as well when I spoke to him. IMO he has fu-ked us completely. When you look at the players he drafted who have had no impact it is an unmitigated disaster. He has had the picks to give us a midfield and has totally failed. Hopefully our new bloke can now start drafting talented AFL footballers.

Blease and Strauss are not the replacements for Dunn and Pedersen.Pedersen was pretty good yesterday actually.

Thank you for waving the white flag, we know your view, you are also not alone in that view. I understand why you and others feel like that. I feel sick about our plight, but I won't quit and I expect my club not to either.I would prefer to dig in for the fight and a tough one it will be. Every year there is a club at the bottom of the ladder, that is pathetic and is an easybeat. The last couple of years that is us. I am ignoring GWS because they clearly will rise with more games experience. Our task is huge, but not impossible. I have invested 55 years in this club and I am not prepared to have it be for nothing. We have a good CEO. I believe we are about to appoint a good Footy Manager at season's end. I hope we appoint a good Coach. We have a new recruiting Manager about to have his first go for us at this year's draft. We are now looking strongly at development of players, rather than simply drafting them. We have a major ally in the AFL. In the short term they can help with finance, sponsorship and draft assistance. We need to be ruthless with our list. We hopefully have Clark back next year and a fit Dawes. Jesse will also play. We need to draft well and will have the chance to get a couple of the best young mids. We MIGHT be able to trade in a couple of experienced mids. If we put a top pick up or someone like Watts we might be able to get some more experienced mids in. If we cherrypick like the Tigers did for needs, there are players out there not getting a run at their clubs, who may add experience and hardness. I am not saying we get these guys necessarily, but players like Bell, Laidler and Duigan at Carlton are not being played and will leave and are hungry. Sewell may be on the outer at Hawthorn, especially as Cooney is being mentioned and even Martin to go to Hawthorn if Buddy leaves. A new coach can develop a new culture if there is significant change in the list. Adding 5-6 good mids and quick skillful players can change our list substantially. Over a year or two these players could completely change our game. Players like Viney, Toumpas, Fitzy, Clisby, Terlich, Blease, Gawn, Kent, Taggert, Tynan and McDonald etc can improve. Most agree our backs, forwards and rucks will be ok. We are pathetic in the midfield and couple that with a lack of disposal skill and pace and knowledge of a simple game plan, explains our current state on the field. We saw Port being beaten by GWS, have no money and being called the Melbourne of last year. Look at them now. It can be done. I agree it will not be easy to entice stars to our club, in fact it will be probably be impossible at the moment. However do we need stars now, or players with talent and hunger who are prepared to do whatever it takes, not in the Bombers' way, to forge successful AFL careers. Those players are out there, we just have to find them. I think of Barlow and even our Matt Jones from the VFL. What about other clubs in the AFL and the other clubs around the country. There are players who have been overlooked or are not getting a game, we must identify a few and get them.They are the sort of players who would come to us. They could provide the hard bodies, skill and experience that we need for the next period to get us competitive and back in the game again. I could go on, but I have made my point. WE ARE NOT FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Even that would not be enough, but it would be a good start.

We need the first 5 picks.

I feel sick.

Anyone want to argue now?

You are not impressed that he kept Thomas goal less in a thrashing last week?He is not a great player but he is far from our worst and he can tag and kick a football as well.

There is only one way to find out. It is funny how some players are stamped as certain types and never given a chance to prove that they are more versatile than thought.

What's next?

The boys on Fox are going ballistic. Warnie and Botham astounded.

That will finish him off in the election then.

Do you want to be third umpire for the next test?

If anyone wants to drink diet shakes to lose weight, my tip, avoid the low carb ones, they taste awful. After trying a few flavours, I gave up and threw the rest out. On the other hand the normal diet shakes are fine. Haven,t said this for a while and is probably anathema to put in a post about diet shakes , but I had a slice of banana cake for lunch. It was yum.

There seems to be a lot of disparity in what people think is fair for drug breaches. Wade Lees, a VFL footballer, orders a supplement from overseas, never gets it because it is intercepted, doesn't know it is illegal, never even touches it and cops 18 months. Saad could get 2 years for taking a drink he didn't know was illegal. Bombers players have 20 injections, believing them to be legal and may get off completely.

You mean Maclure. I also thought it was very embarrassing for us, when they all agreed who would want to coach Melbourne. They even put up stats about Cameron and his goals in his first 32 games and listed a lot of former players and their goals in the same amount of games, yet left out the record holder Allen Jakovich, who kicked 150 goals in his first 34 games compared to 79 by Cameron in 32 games. I can't wait for this club to be successful so I can stick it to several people.

Good luck, hope all is well.